Okay, so we pick up the action the morning after Kate and Castle got a little action of their own.

Warning: Another long one. Grab a coffee! Mild Adult content.

Disclaimer: Characters are the property of Andrew Marlowe and the team.

Chapter 29

"So…should I consider myself invited?" Kate asked, as she laid on her front, resting her chin on her hands, the same hands that were currently pressed against Castle's stomach. She turned her head sideways to look up at him, her eyes smiling, as he considered her question.

Castle was propped up against some pillows, arms behind his head, while Kate lounged on his tummy. He was in heaven.

"Okay, you've got me now. Is there something I should be remembering here, because you kind of just blew my brains out lady and I'm feeling a little fragile," he said, sweeping her hair off her back so he could bend down to plant a kiss between her shoulder blades.

"Fragile, Castle? I don't remember anything fragile about that performance," she teased, a smile breaking out on her face again as she meandered back over the memory of their first night together and this morning's repeat spectacular.

"Why, thank you. But to go back to your question. Is there a particular event you have in mind? You said, invited?" he asked, puzzling over her question.

"I'll taking pity on you because it's still early and we're both short on sleep and because…well, just because…I kind of like you," she said, running her finger down his chest before finishing her thought. "You told me when I came to stay at the loft that when you invited me into your bed, I should be fully rested and alert for the duration. So how'd I do? Alert enough for you? And…can I ask if that invitation is open ended?" she said, a nervous smile teasing her lips.

"I've learnt a lot about you over the last six hours, Kate," he said, twirling one of her curls around his finger and Kate laughed out loud, a sultry, free, gorgeous, tinkling laugh that had him smiling along in amusement.

"Oh god, Rick. I hate to think which bits you might be referring to," she laughed again.

"Actually, Miss Mind in the Gutter, I was referring to your remarkable ability to parrot my words back at me," he said, tweaking her nose affectionately.

"Who's a pretty boy then?" she teased, playing with one of his nipples, until he flinched and swatted her hand away.

"But returning to your question, I have one phrase that I think sums things up perfectly."

"Oh and what might that be?" asked Kate, curious to hear what he had in mind.

"Mi casa es su casa, my dear Detective," he replied, hooking his hands under her arms and lifting her up to lie fully on top of him, as she squealed, her head coming to rest on his shoulder, legs tangled up with his. "I want you with me, Kate," he said, all traces of humor leaving his voice. "As often and for as long as you'll have me," he said, his serious tone and his honesty thrilling her, making her blush.

Kate lay quietly against him, hiding out in the crook of his neck. He'd been honest, so the new Kate needed to be honest back. His statement deserved a response. She squeezed her eyes closed and began to speak.

"I like the sound of that, Rick…I really do. I can't promise every night, at least not yet, but I meant what I said last night. I don't want to go back. I'm in this for as long as you'll have me. We still have things to sort out and I have no doubt that it won't be all hearts and flowers, but we can figure it out as we go along, just like we've been figuring everything else out these last few years. This part might be new, but we know each other pretty well…the good bits and the bad bits," said Kate, smiling again.

"There are bad bits?" asked Castle, in mock horror. "I know you don't snore. Do you leave the toilet seat up, Detective Beckett? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" he joked, earning himself a poke in the ribs from Kate. "I know we have things to iron out. Like my stupid behavior over that note a few days ago," he confessed.

"Well, since you brought it up…" teased Kate and Castle tickled her until her giggling and squealing got so loud he was worried they'd waken the rest of the household. "Apples, apples," cried Kate.

"Doesn't count. That's my safe word," he countered, kissing her on the mouth instead to quiet her down. "It's nearly seven. We should probably think about getting up," he sighed.

"I want to say no, let's just stay in bed. But sadly, you're right. We caught a bit of a break in the case yesterday. I can fill you in over breakfast."

"Sounds great. You want to shower first?" he asked, trying to be chivalrous.

"I…yes, well I could or…" said Kate, her voice low and suggestive.

"Or?" asked Castle, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we could save water…and time, by showering together," Kate suggested coyly.

"Oh you have no idea how much I love you right now for just suggesting that," whispered Castle, his voice husky, catching in his throat. He lent down and grazed her lips softly with his own, until she parted hers a little, allowing his tongue to snake inside, wet and warm and hungry with need for her.

"Mmmm, that was special," said Kate when they pulled apart. "So, you want to scrub my back?" she suggested cheekily, sitting up and then swinging her feet to the floor.

She rose from the bed, holding out her hand to Castle, who followed her eagerly. Kate's limbs protested as soon as she tried to walk. Her inner thighs, the muscles below her ribs and her upper arms ached from their energetic lovemaking.

"Do you have any dressings I could use to re-cover this?" she asked, holding up her injured arm. She wanted to expose it properly to the warm water, but her replacement dressings were back at her own apartment.

"Yeah, I have a first aid kit in here. We can get you fixed up after we shower. How was your check-up with Dr. Geriatric? I'm so sorry I abandoned you that day to go off and play caveman in front of Montgomery," he said, massaging Kate's shoulders as she rinsed her face over the sink.

"She said it looks good, healing well, minimal scarring, yada yada, but it really hurt when she was probing around my stitches," said Kate, peeling back the tape that secured her dressing to reveal the angry red line of the wound.

Castle took her hand, gently turning her wrist over to examine the healing injury. He tenderly ran his finger along the curve of her arm and then kissed the soft skin in the crook of her elbow. Kate cradled his head in her hands as he bent down to kiss her arm, curling around him to plant her lips softly at the nape of his neck. Castle's mouth found its way to her breast on the way back up, capturing the pale sweep of her aureole between his lips while letting his tongue play with her nipple.

"We're not going to get very…ahhh…far if we carry on like this…oh, Castle!" exclaimed Kate, as he nibbled lightly at her nipple and she had to fend him off.

Castle reluctantly let Kate go to turn on the shower, brushing his teeth while he waited for the water to heat up.

"Is my tooth brush still upstairs? Or did you just throw all my things in the trash?" asked Kate, smirking as she raked her nails gently down Castle's back while he bent over the sink to rinse.

"Actually, you'll find everything more or less where you left it," replied Castle, wiping his mouth with a towel.

"More or less?" asked Kate. "What, you have a break in while I was gone, Castle?" she laughed.

"No, but I might have tidied up a little when you didn't come home the other night. What?" he exclaimed, when Kate raised an eyebrow at him, planting her hands on her hips. "I was at a loose end. I needed to do something to take my mind off things," he said, adding, "And just so you know, that stance isn't nearly as scary when you're naked, Kate."

She went on staring at him, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "So you thought you'd rifle through my drawers?" she asked, trying to stay annoyed, but mostly just amused by his admission.

"There was no rifling…just a bit of folding and maybe some fondling," he admitted and Kate laughed, unable to help herself. "Clown," she said, giving him a little shove in the chest and then turning her back on him to sashay over to the shower. "Castle, you comin'?" she threw over her shoulder, holding the glass door open for him and he jogged the few steps it took to cross the bathroom floor to join Detective Kate Beckett in his shower.

They messed around a little, soaping one another up and fighting over who got to control the hand shower, until Kate heard Alexis call out during a pause in their giggling. She put her hand over Castle's mouth to silence him, her eyes flying wide open as they froze with clumps of foam sliding down their bodies and pooling at their feet.

"Shhh Castle, did you hear that? Alexis…she's calling you. What are we going to do?" she asked, sounding a little panicked.

"Eh, well…why don't I shower off and go find her. Then you can finish up in peace and…"

"Dad?"

The voice was right outside the bathroom door now…the half-open bathroom door. Alexis had wandered into Castle's bedroom and Kate's mind immediately flew to her phone, wallet and keys which were lying on the nightstand by the bed and then…oh god, she cringed, her jeans and her sweater…her underwear! Her clothes were strewn all over Castle's bedroom floor. In fact she wasn't even sure where her panties had ended up after Castle removed them, since her mind had been on other things right at that moment. She grabbed Castle's forearms and fought down the giggle that was threatening to erupt from her throat at their ridiculous situation. She poked him in he ribs, flapping her hands, urging him to say something, to stall Alexis until they could figure this out.

"I'll be right out, sweetie," he called, his voice tight and a little too high. "Just finishing up my shower." He sounded entirely too guilty and unconvincing and Kate gestured to him to do something else but he just shrugged back at her like he was fresh out of ideas.

They finished up the rest of their shower in record time, rinsing one another off so that they could turn off the water and both get out at the same time. While Kate squeezed water out of her hair and then toweled herself dry, Castle wrapped a large bath towel around his waist and headed for the bedroom to see what Alexis wanted. He darted back to plant a hot kiss on Kate's lips before he opened the door, surprising her and nearly knocking her over.

Their voices were a little muffled by the thick bedroom carpeting and the half-closed door between them, but Kate was able to make out the gist of the conversation.

Alexis wanted to know if she could go back to school yet. She was worried that another girl in her class had been following Ashley around while she'd been off sick and it seemed she'd had a text from Paige that morning warning her that a class trip to Washington was coming up and Ashley and the other girl were both signed up to go.

Kate smiled at her own memories of teenage angst and carried on quietly towel drying her hair until she distinctly heard Alexis squeal, "Kate's here?"

She froze, unsure what to do next. But as Alexis' continued her excited, enthusiastic questioning of her father, Kate decided it was time to be the grown up that she purported to be and go out there and rescue him. She looked around the bathroom for a way to make herself more decent and found Castle's robe hanging on the hook behind the door. She slipped it on, tying the belt tightly around her, and combed her fingers through the tangles of her hair to make her look a little more presentable and then she stopped thinking, stopped analyzing, just took a breath and walked towards the door.

Alexis and Castle were sitting on the end of the bed talking quietly and Kate's cheeks flushed as she took in the erotic tangle of sheets and her various items of clothing littering the floor. The bedroom reeked of sex and Kate was mortified that Castle's daughter had made her way in there, this morning of all mornings.

Suddenly Alexis noticed Kate out of the corner of her eye and she jumped up from the bed, running over to wrap her in a hug.

"Kate, you're back" she squealed, almost knocking the much taller woman over as she tackled her.

"Hi Lex. That's quite a welcome," she said, smiling over the top of Alexis' head at Castle, who was watching the two of them with a distinctly delighted expression on his face.

"When did you get back?" Alexis asked, suddenly realizing she'd walked right into an awkward trap with her question and she floundered, her cheeks pinking up.

"I…uh, well, I came by last night to see your dad and we talked and…"

Kate was cut off, midway through her awkward explanation, by Castle who interjected chirpily, "Well, you talked." And Kate glared across at him.

"Not helping, Rick. Anyway, we sorted things out and here I am," said Kate, deciding that was enough of an explanation for now. "How're you feeling? I'm sorry I haven't been around the last couple of days."

"Not your fault, Kate," said Alexis. "Dad told me what he did. So dumb. I'm not surprised you were mad at him," said Alexis, her grown up voice full of womanly understanding.

Castle coughed indignantly and Kate laughed, feeling a rush of affection for him and the sudden urge to defend him.

"His heart was in the right place, I suppose," said Kate, winking at Castle. "Anyway, we're moving on."

"I'll say," said Alexis, her eyes scanning Kate's clothes on the bedroom floor. Then she blushed furiously realizing what she'd just said.

"Well, I should get dressed," said Kate, a little awkwardly and Alexis took the hint, disappearing off towards the kitchen. Kate followed her out into the main area of the loft, heading up to the guest room to get some fresh clothes to wear.

The bedroom was unbelievably tidy and Castle hadn't just folded a few stray items of clothing. He'd emptied the hamper and done all of her laundry, which was now folded into neat little piles on top of the dresser. He apparently had stopped short at rummaging through the drawers. Kate picked up a bundle of underwear and opened the smallest drawer to store them away for the time being, until they could figure out how this would work from now on. As she placed the assortment of bras and panties into the drawer her fingers brushed against something hard and she moved a pair of socks aside to pick up the item. It was the pink, clamshell case that contained her contraceptive pills. Kate's hand flew to her mouth. She hadn't taken anything home with her when she'd left the loft two days ago. Kate realized with the speed on an oncoming train that that also included her contraceptive pills and then she joined the dots…she and Rick had just…

Kate was unable to complete the thought because at that moment Castle appeared in the bedroom doorway, dressed in a pair of black jeans and a white, open neck shirt, looking indecently handsome for this time of day.

"There you are," he said, smiling sexily at her, as Kate quickly hid the pillbox behind her back. "I wondered where you'd got to."

"I came up to get some clothes," said Kate, dropping the little plastic box back into the drawer and quickly pushing it closed. "Thank you for doing my laundry. Really sweet of you, Rick," she said, coming over to kiss him gently on the lips. "Alexis okay? That was…"

"Awkward?" he suggested for her.

"Totally. We really need to be more careful," said Kate, the words suddenly ringing in her ears, conjuring up a double meaning, as her mind flitted back to the little pillbox. "My clothes were scattered all over the floor. I was mortified."

"We can put a lock on the bedroom door, if that makes you feel better," he suggested, holding her by the elbows, his thumbs soothing her. "Come downstairs and I'll make us breakfast when you're ready," said Castle, planting a kiss on her forehead.

As soon as he was gone Kate retrieved the little box from the drawer, popping open the lid to take out one of the tiny, sugar coated pills. She swallowed it down with a glass of water in the bathroom and then quickly got dressed. She would stop by the pharmacy for a pack of Plan B later, panic over. Nothing to worry about.

Alexis and Martha were gathered around the kitchen island when Kate came downstairs.

"Darling, you're back. I'm so thrilled," said Martha, kissing Kate on the cheek. "Make sure you tell my son exactly where he went wrong. I find that's the best way to stop him doing it again," advised Martha, as if Castle was an errant puppy and not in fact in the room with them, flipping pancakes on the stove.

"I'm right here, Mother," he reminded her.

"Kate needs to know what's what, kiddo. So you don't mess up again."

"Glad to see that you have so much faith in me, Mother."

"I have faith in you, Rick," said Kate, sidling up next to him as he continued to cook their breakfast.

"You're only saying that because you're hungry, Kate, and you're hoping I'll feed you," he said, sounding a little put out by his mother's criticism.

"Pancakes, Castle?" noted Kate, with a grin on her face. "You do know that's an edible way of saying…"

"Thank you so much for last night," he whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek, his grin as broad as hers.

"Javi would have a field day with this," laughed Kate, "So we're not going to tell him. Got that?" she asked Castle, checking that he understood.

"Roger that. My lips are sealed."

"So does that mean that you two are…?" asked Martha, shimmying a little on her stool, eyes twinkling suggestively.

"Grams!" exclaimed Alexis, as Kate and Castle spun round from their spot in front of the stove.

"Mother, that's…" Castle started to protest, but Kate put a calming hand on his arm.

"We are…" said Kate, with a loaded pause, "all good, Martha. Thank you for asking." She continued, admitting that things had changed between them, but not laboring the point.

Breakfast was relaxed and fun and time flew while they ate and chatted. Kate went back upstairs to brush her teeth and collect a jacket, meeting Castle at the front door with her phone, keys and wallet in her hand.

"I have to stop by my apartment on the way, okay?" she said.

"But you're all dressed and in clean clothes, I might add. Courtesy of your own, personal, house husband," he said just to annoy her.

"Castle, knock it off. In no way is that funny…ever. And besides, I already thanked you. I'll thank you again later…if you're a good boy today," she said, squeezing his ass suggestively. "Now just let's go by my damn apartment. I don't have my badge or my gun with me," she added, sounding a little sheepish.

"But you never go anywhere without those," he said, sounding surprised.

"Exactly. I clearly wasn't in my right mind when I ran over here in the middle of the night," said Kate, almost to herself.

"Regrets?" he asked quietly, as they got into the elevator, finding her hand and lacing their fingers together, his thumb making a gentle sweep of her wrist.

"No! Never. Don't ever think that, Castle" said Kate, her tone vehement and reproachful. "Last night was wonderful, but it was also just the beginning of something for us. No going back, remember?" she said, squeezing his hand.

"So does that mean I can drive us today?" he asked, his eyes sliding sideways to glance over at Kate, while he remained facing the front.

"In what universe are those two concepts linked?" asked Kate, bumping him with her shoulder. "Only you, Castle," she said affectionately, shaking her head. "And the answer's no, in case you hadn't guessed already," said Kate, smirking as she marched out of the elevator ahead of him. She headed towards his Ferrari, holding her hand back over her shoulder for his keys, which he was actually pretty happy to handover, because the sight of his hot girl, driving his hot car, was one he'd never tire of seeing.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

On their way to Kate's apartment Castle suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, we have to stop for coffee and pastries on the way to the precinct."

Kate glanced quickly over at him, as she made a tricky right hand turn on red, his left hand twitching suddenly where it lay against her thigh.

"Castle, we just ate breakfast," she said, shooting him a puzzled look.

"No, not for us. For Ryan and Esposito. I've got some bridge building to do there too," he said, looking a little tense.

"I know the guys can be protective of me, but really Castle? You think they're going to throw you out of your little boys club, if they can see that I've forgiven you?"

"I might have hounded them a little over the last few days," he admitted, reluctantly. "Pressurized them into telling me where you were, how you were doing…that kind of thing."

"And they told you?" asked Kate, a little surprised.

"Well, no. Not exactly. Ryan told me that he wouldn't be spying on you on my behalf. But he might have let slip about the note that was left at your apartment."

"Is that why you were sitting outside last night, in this beautiful, but none too subtle machine?" asked Kate, laughing.

"Might have been," groaned Castle, embarrassed. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, that was really sweet…and foolish. You might want to think about choosing something a little less obvious for your next stakeout," said Kate, lifting his fingers to her lips and kissing them.

"Thank god. I couldn't face being back in the doghouse," he said, clearly relieved. "So can we just stop for the coffee and stuff and then I can fix things with the boys?"

"There's a small coffee shop on the other end of my block. I'll go upstairs and get my things and meet you back at the car," said Kate, pulling into a parking spot.

They arrived at the 12th twenty minutes later. Castle balancing a steaming tray of coffees on his lap, while Kate handled the mammoth bag of pastries and donuts he had picked up.

"You really didn't have to do this," said Kate, peering inside the bag. "You already bought them a coffee machine, Castle. How bad can it be?"

"I'm sure they hate me. I upset you, Esposito stopped answering my calls altogether and Ryan sounded like he was just taking pity on me whenever I spoke to him. Really, I need to fix this."

"Okay, but I'm sure you're overreacting," she said, squeezing his hand.

"You ready to go in?" he asked, smiling at Kate's beautiful, relaxed expression. He didn't think she could look happier than she had in bed this morning, but apparently she could.

"Yes, you?" asked Kate, grinning at him. "Now, we keep things to ourselves for now. Agreed? No mentioning pancakes or shower scenes or anything of that nature. You got it, Castle?"

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, toying with a lock of her hair.

"What do you think?" asked Kate, her eyebrow raised.

"I meant now…here. Before we go inside and get all business like."

Kate didn't reply. She just leaned over and brushed her lips softly against his, darting her tongue inside fleetingly and then pulling away to open the door.

"You won't win them over with cold coffee, Castle," she called over her shoulder, as he sat unmoving in the passenger seat, a massive grin on his face.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The bullpen was quiet when Kate and Castle made their way over to Kate's desk. They looked around for any sign of the boys, but both computer screens were still dark and their jackets were missing.

Castle left a cup of coffee on each desk, together with the bag of pastries and went back over to Kate's desk to sit in his chair.

"I missed this," he said, settling down into the seat and wiggling to get comfortable.

"You're ridiculous sometimes, you know that?" said Kate, smiling at him affectionately, as she fished out a bundle of files and turned on her computer.

Just at that the elevator pinged and the doors slid open on an arguing Ryan and Esposito.

"She was totally eyeing me up, bro," said Esposito, shoving Ryan as they battled one another to be first to their desks.

"Your mamma was eyeing me up, man," said Ryan, pulling on the back of Esposito's coat, earning himself a dig in the ribs from Javi.

Esposito pulled up short when he noticed the coffee cups and smelt the pastries sitting on his desk, whirling round to look over in Kate's direction, as Ryan slammed into the back of him.

"Morning boys. Big debate of the day underway already, I see," said Kate, raising an eyebrow disapprovingly at their antics.

"Morning," mumbled Ryan, rubbing his bruised forehead.

"You let him back?" asked Esposito, eyeing Castle, who looked laid back and sure of himself once more, resting his elbow on Kate's desk in a proprietary manner.

"I didn't let him back," said Kate, her tone a little irritated. "We both said and did some stupid things. But we worked it out and now we're moving on. Isn't that right, Castle?" said Kate, turning her gaze on the writer.

"Yes, we certainly worked out…I mean we worked things out," stumbled Castle, as Kate blushed under the boys' inquisitive looks. "Just like partners do," he added, unconvincingly, earning him another stare from Esposito. "I brought you guys coffee and a little something to apologize to you too. I've been an ass the last few days and I'm sorry if I put you on the spot or made you feel uncomfortable in anyway," said Castle, disarmingly.

The boys eyed them both suspiciously, looking from Castle to Kate and back again, unnerved by this sudden reconciliation. Both of them were clearly wondering what had brought it on, since Javi had gotten Lanie's side of the story when she got in last night and told him about Castle's car having been parked outside Kate's place, though she'd kept the details of Kate's meltdown at the nightclub to herself.

"So, we all good?" asked Castle hopefully, trying to break the tension in the air.

Kate had already gone back to examining the files on her desk, having lost interest in the boys little stare down contest.

"Right, so we have some things to fill Castle in on," said Kate, blissfully ignorant of the man-drama playing out around her. "Let's take this into the break room so we can spread out these files."

When nobody moved, Kate looked up from her desk, eyeing Ryan and Esposito and then looking over at Castle, who just shrugged at her and stood up, holding out his hands to help her move the paperwork.

"Guys, we have work to do. So just stop whatever this is," she said, reproachfully, marching off to the break room as Castle shot a childish, "I told you so" look over his shoulder at the guys and jogged after Kate.

"What the hell?" said Esposito, looking at Ryan. "Did you see that, dude?"

"I saw it, but I don't believe it. Did they just make-up, like overnight…oh my god, overnight," hissed Ryan, fist bumping Esposito.

"You think? No, no way, man. Lanie said Castle tore away from her place last night in a foul mood."

"Then what is that?" asked Ryan, pointing at the break room window, where Kate could be seen laughing at something Castle had just said and nudging him playfully with her arm, as they looked into each other's eyes like a couple of love struck teenagers.

"I'm calling Lanie. You get in there and stop them from going at it on the break room table," said Esposito, hurrying over to his desk.

"So good of you to join us, Ryan," said Kate sarcastically, as she took a seat and indicated for Castle to do the same. "Where's Javi?"

"Just coming," lied Ryan, flicking his eyes to the floor.

"Okay, well let's push on," said Kate. "He can catch up. Castle," she said, avoiding his gaze as she studied the file in front of her, unsure she could keep the tenderness and regret out of her eyes if she looked into his face right now in front of Ryan, "we got another call out to the Vesuvio Playground yesterday morning," she continued, finally letting her eyes slide up to his face as his head jerked up on hearing the information.

Kate looked a little guilty as she carried on talking. Castle studied her with a strained expression on his face.

"You didn't call me," he said quietly, stating the obvious, as Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I know. I'm sorry," said Kate, feeling genuinely bad about how she'd handled things. "But…we are where we are," she said, hoping for forgiveness. "I can't go back in time, Castle. You know if I could…" she said, trailing off as they both suddenly seemed to realize Ryan was sitting there listening to them work out their private grief in front of him.

"Anyway," said Castle, more brightly, trying to save the situation, "you were saying…" he encouraged her, nodding.

"Thanks. So yes, there was an attempted strangulation at the playground. The guy had been strung up over the monkey bars. He was in pretty bad shape when they cut him down. Lanie and I followed the ambulance to Downtown Hospital. We were there in ten minutes, but they had to intubate him before we could get him to say much."

"You said much…did he say anything?" asked Castle.

"Dude said Vesuvio Playground and then zoning committee," confirmed Ryan, checking his notes.

"You were there too?" asked Castle, the hurt expression crowding his face again, hating the thought of being left out.

"Yeah, man. It's kind of our job," said Ryan a little pointedly and Kate felt bad for Castle.

Esposito came into the room at this point to join them and Kate decided to take a minute to clear the air.

"Castle, would you mind getting me cup of coffee?" she asked, the quick inclination of her head and flick of her eyes telling him she needed a minute alone with the other two.

"Look guys," she said a little impatiently, shifting her gaze from one detective to the other, "I know you were mad at Castle on my behalf a couple of days ago and I really appreciate your support. But if I've forgiven him, then it's really time you did too. We need to focus on this case and making him feel uncomfortable isn't going to help us solve it any quicker. So, we all good?" asked Kate.

"Yes, Beckett," came the slightly reluctant chorus.

"Great. Now, where was I," she asked, as Castle re-entered the room carrying two cups of coffee.

"Half-strangled guy in the hospital," said Castle dead-panning bluntly.

"Oh, yeah. So turns out his name is Jerry Falconio."

"He tell you that too?" asked Castle, a little surprised.

"No, his suit did," said Ryan, dryly.

"I'm not following? He had a guy with him?" asked Castle, puzzled.

"No, the suit he was wearing," said Kate, patiently, shooting Ryan a look. "It was custom made. The EMT found his name embroidered on the inside pocket."

"So, did you track his family down?"

"Yes, I spoke to his wife. She's on her way back from Paris now with their two daughters. His brother, Manny, lives in town. He was going to visit Mr. Falconio last night. Ryan, could you give the hospital a call when we're done here and tell them to expect a visit from Castle and I this morning. I'd like to talk to the doctor again, if he's around."

"Do we know what this guy does for a living or how he might be connected to the rest of our vic's?" asked Castle.

"He's an accountant," said Esposito, addressing Castle directly for the first time since they arrived that morning. The thaw was on.

"So we've got an accountant, a lawyer and a property developer. That sounds like the start of a really bad joke," said Castle.

"Well it was for them, bro," said Esposito, fist-bumping Castle, as Kate sighed in frustration.

"Guys, guys can we just focus. Not only is he an accountant, but we got a little visit from another member of the Playground Gang, as they called themselves. A Mr. Michael Dupre. He called in to see me yesterday afternoon," said Kate, picking up the story.

"This guy was something else," said Ryan, tapping Castle on the arm. "You'd have hated him, bro. He totally came onto Beckett, smarmed all over her, kissing her hand and everything," he blurted out without thinking, earning him a glare from Kate.

Castle raised his eyebrow at her and smirked. "You kept that quiet, Beckett. So how old was this Mr. Dupre?" asked Castle, having fun teasing her in front of the boys.

"Oh, late sixties at least," said Kate, holding his gaze and smiling herself. "But very well preserved and gallant for a man of his age. Married three times, in fact," she added out of pure devilment. "Anyway, to get back to the case, turns out he was the Chairman of the committee that redevelopment the Vesuvio Playground twenty years ago. He'd been away in Florida visiting his mother…"

"Jeez, how old must she be?" interjected Esposito.

"Wonder if she uses Grecian 5 too," added Ryan and Castle laughed along with the guys, their feud suddenly forgotten.

"Anyway, as I was saying, he got back home and read about the death of Emily Garrett. Turns out she was on the same committee, along with Roger Isles and Jerry Falconio," continued Kate.

"Ah, so the committee our Mr. Falconio mentioned in the hospital, it's the same one?"

"Yes, and more than that, Jerry Falconio's wife told me he had an appointment yesterday evening in the city…in SoHo to be precise. He'd be sent an invitation by The Parks Department telling him that the Vesuvio Playground was to be re-dedicated in his honor, for the work he'd done on the re-development," said Kate, a little triumphantly.

"An invitation? As in a rectangular piece of white card similar to the scrap that was found on Emily Garrett?" asked Castle, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Well, we haven't seen the invite yet. Either the killer took it with him or it's still among Mr. Falconio's effects. We bagged and tagged his clothes yesterday. Esposito took possession of those. Didn't you Javi?" said Kate, looking over at Esposito.

"Yeah. His pockets were empty," he confirmed.

"But this is great. It means we know how our killer lured his victims to the playground. What about Livia Caliente and Danny Minola? Were they on this committee too?" asked Castle.

"No. Michael Dupre had never heard of Danny Minola, although he did say that various people from the Parks joined them for board meetings. I just can't see it being our ex-con from Brownsville. The closest he got to Livia Caliente was an Olivia Fontana. She was the secretary and notary for the committee."

"Livia and Olivia…the names aren't a million miles apart," noted Castle. "Livia could be a nickname…you know a diminution of Olivia," he suggested.

"No, that committee sat twenty years ago. Livia Caliente would have been three years old when that playground redevelopment took place. It's definitely not her," said Kate, enjoying the familiar buzz she got from running theory with Castle again.

"What about a relation? It can't be random coincidence."

"Esposito, can you look up Olivia Fontana after this? See if you can find a current address for her? Michael Dupre might not be the only one in danger if our perp is picking this committee off one-by-one."

"So where's Mr. Dupre now?" asked Castle.

"I sent him to stay with an old flame on Staten Island," confirmed Kate, "until we can figure this out and make a plan."

"Old flame? I've got to meet this guy. He's clearly got a way with the ladies," laughed Castle, clapping his hands.

"Yeah well, this lady wasn't impressed and I doubt you need tips," said Kate, nudging him with her knee under the table. "Ryan, did we get anything back from the courts yet in response to my application to have that old Minola case unsealed?" asked Kate.

"Nothing yet, but the papers were only lodged yesterday afternoon. It's gonna take a while longer."

"Fine. Let me know as soon as anything comes in," she instructed.

"What case was that?" asked Castle, still trying to fill the gaps in his knowledge from having missed out on the last two days.

"Ryan and I went to Brooklyn a couple of days ago," explained Kate, "to visit the detective who handled Danny Minola's last arrest. Turned out they had a long history, stretching back over twenty years. Officer Sobotka, as he was back then, arrested Minola for a sexual assault. He told us the guy fixed himself up with a good lawyer to make sure he got off the hook whenever he needed it, which turned out to be a lot. But it seems he also indulged in a little witness intimidation as well. The first rape case was strong. Good witness I.D., the assault took place in broad daylight. Only he used a condom, no DNA, so it devolved into a he said she said. But the victim pulled out when he started to threaten her and her two children."

"Sounds like a real charmer," interjected Castle.

"Yeah, well when he made that case go away the court sealed it to protect the children's identities. I've applied to have the records unsealed so we can talk to the witness, if we can track her down."

"Seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to on a twenty year old charge," said Castle. "Isn't there a more recent case you could pursue?"

"We tried that first. Lisa Brown was the 19-year-old mother of one he assaulted shortly before his death. Same intimidation games as before. Ryan and I went to her last known address in Brownsville. Same building in the Tilden Houses as Minola. She lived there with her mother and five brothers," said Kate, raising a knowing eyebrow at Castle. "But the apartment was empty and when we spoke to a neighbor and the Super they both said the family moved out about a week ago. No forwarding address."

"Around the same time as our Mr. Minola was found minus his family jewels?" asked Castle.

"The very same, bro," said Ryan. "I'm still waiting for Housing to come back to me with a new address for Lisa Brown. Their caseload is even bigger than Child Protective Services. But I'll lean on them again today."

"So what do you hope to find out by talking to Lisa Brown or unearthing the details of a twenty year old rape case against this guy?" asked Castle.

"We need to establish a motive for his murder, to decide whether or not it's connected to the other attacks or whether it is completely unrelated. The more we know about how our victims connect, the better chance we have of intersecting with our perp," she explained and Castle nodded thoughtfully. "I know it sounds like a long shot, but we've got further with less in the past," said Kate, trying to sound encouraging.

"I'm still trawling the New York Times archive from twenty years ago looking for that committee photo that appeared in the Metro section. The entire back catalogue from 1851 is online, 13 million articles. I'm narrowing it down," said Ryan, rolling his eyes.

"I know a guy in photo sales. He got me copies of all my good pap shots over the years…" said Castle, trailing off when he realized he'd revealed slightly too much information.

"Your paparazzi shots?" asked Kate, turning to look at Castle, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "You asked for copies?" asked Kate, raising her eyebrow.

"Isn't that a little vain, bro?" asked Esposito and Kate let out a little snort.

"It was purely for record keeping. Life goes by pretty fast, if you don't record your experiences," he said, trying to cover up his faux pas. "Anyway, point is, maybe my guy can help you find this photograph."

"Sure, Castle. Sounds good," said Kate, taking pity on him, as the boys stared at her in surprise for letting him off the hook so easily. "Anyway, we should get going to the hospital," said Kate, suddenly. "See if we can get any more information from Jerry Falconio."

"Esposito, can you call the lab and see if they got any prints off the note from my apartment? And check with CSU on the latest crime scene sweep. Make sure they dusted the monkey bars and the belt he used to string up our victim for prints and epithelial traces. I'll call you from the hospital with an update," said Kate.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Castle followed Kate to the elevator, holding the door for her as they entered, enjoying the light brush of her breast against his arm as she passed close by.

"It is so good to be back," said Castle, squeezing her hand.

"You're funny. Murder wouldn't be most people's idea of a fun day's work."

"But I get to spend the day with my girl and help her solve some terrible crimes. What's not to like?" he asked, smiling down at her.

"Just for that and because it's actually long overdue, I'm taking you out to dinner tonight, Mr. Castle," said Kate, her eyes twinkling.

"Really? Are you sure, because I can always cook for us at home," said Castle.

"Shhh," said Kate, leaning into his side as they rode down to street level. "I promised I'd plan our second date and I think it's time. I mean I know we've moved things along a lot in the last twelve hours and we've kind of jumped right past the time for a second date, but it doesn't mean we can't still enjoy one. Right?"

"Sure," said Castle. "Sounds great. Where are we going?"

"Ah, well you'll just have to wait until tonight to find out," teased Kate, as Castle slid his arm around her back and squeezed her waist, making her squirm and yelp.

"We're at work, Castle. Stop it!" she said, trying to prize herself away from him in case the doors opened suddenly.

But it was Kate's cell phone that interrupted them.

"Beckett?" she answered, as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor.

"Hey, Lanie," she chirped, forgetting that her friend had last seen her vomiting in a nightclub toilet, before leaving her desolate and moping in her apartment the night before.

"Hey, yourself. You're sounding a bit brighter this morning? Anything happen I should know about, Kate?" she asked dryly.

"You've spoken to Javi this morning, I take it," said Kate, moving slightly away from Castle to take the call, as he walked on towards the car.

"He might have mentioned a certain writer following you into work this morning and something about a big, soppy grin on your face."

"Did he now?" said Kate, feigning annoyance.

"So, what happened after I left last night? Did you give in and call him?" asked Lanie, hoping for details.

"Actually, Lanie, I went over to his loft to talk to him face-to-face."

"Very grown up. And? You sort things out?"

"We…yes, in a manner of speaking. We did indeed sort things out," said Kate, unable to keep a smile from spreading all over her face.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Kate?" asked Lanie, sounding like she was bouncing up and down with excitement.

"I'm with Castle right now and we're headed to the hospital to see Jerry Falconio. Can I call you later?" said Kate, cruelly leaving Lanie hanging.

"Call me! And I want details Kate. Drinks, tonight."

"Tonight?" asked Kate, catching Castle's eye, watching his face fall. "Sorry, can't do tonight. We've got plans. But I'll call you later and we'll set something up," said Kate, as Castle's face broke into a broad smile.

"Then just tell me one more thing before you go, Kate. Was it worth the wait?"

"Oh, you have no idea," said Kate, unable to keep the grin off her face. "Thank you for pushing me," she added quietly, as she walked round to open the passenger door and slid into the car while Lanie squealed in her ear.

Castle stood beside the Ferrari, unsure what had just happened.

"Castle, what are you waiting for?" called Kate, opening the driver side door for him from the inside.

"You're letting me drive?" he asked, ridiculously excited at the prospect of being allowed to drive his own car.

"Call it the start of our second date, call it being in love, call me crazy, but just get in, will you? That group of Uniforms is staring at us."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Castle drove carefully and far more slowly than Kate through the traffic in lower Manhattan, almost as if to prove to her that he was worthy of being handed the keys to his own vehicle. Kate smiled quietly to herself, resisting the urge to comment.

"Take a right on Duane and then pick up Lafayette," she instructed eventually, explaining, "There's construction at the corner of Broadway and Vesey Street."

Castle laughed heartily, reaching over to squeeze her thigh. "I wondered how long it'd take you? But you did well…considering."

"What?" asked Kate, sounding a little affronted.

"No, you've been good. Really. It took you 'til now to comment on my driving," he said, with some smug satisfaction.

"I haven't said anything about your driving yet, Castle," she said, smiling in spite of herself, as he turned left into Spruce Street before pulling into a parking spot near the corner of William Street and shut off the engine. "I merely mentioned a traffic snarl up that Lanie and I came across yesterday. I was being helpful," she said, justifying her interference.

"And you are, Kate. Oh. So. Helpful," said Castle, leaning over to pepper her mouth with quick, light, kisses that left Kate tingling and leaning in for more. But he was gone, out of the car before her, leaning on the roof with a satisfied grin on his face when Kate emerged from the Ferrari straightening her jacket and rolling her shoulders back as she tried to pull herself together.

They bumped shoulders and arms as they walked into the hospital, side-by-side, closer than most police partnerships ever get. Kate felt a hyper awareness of her own body and Castle's this morning. Her skin tingled with heat even when he wasn't touching her. She needed more time alone with him to get this…this bewitching magic out of her system. But when she thought about it, she hoped this feeling never actually went away. She wanted to feel this alive forever.

"Which way?" asked Castle, pulling her from her musing.

"Eh…not sure. I'll have to ask. He was in the ER when we left him yesterday."

They headed over to the reception desk and Kate pulled out her badge to gain them access to Mr. Falconio, who it turned out had been moved to the Neurotrauma Intensive Care Unit on the 8th floor.

When the elevator doors opened on level 8 Castle ushered Kate out ahead of him, his hand at her back and she smiled, turning to comment. "Still allowing me to leave the elevator first, I see?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he shot back. "If I'm behind you I get the best view," he admitted, laughing as he jumped out of the way of her hand, which she reached up to swat him with.

Their fooling around was interrupted suddenly by a commotion further along the corridor. A nurse cried out from a doorway near the end of the hall, as a man in a black hooded sweatshirt pushed past her and ran for the exit to the stairwell.

"Stop him!" yelled the nurse, as Kate ran down the corridor towards the fleeing man.

"I'm with the NYPD. What's the problem, ma'am?" asked Kate, as Castle jogged up behind her.

"That man…I found him in Mr. Falconio's room. He was trying to smother him with a pillow," said the woman, looking quite shaken.

"Castle, you stay with her," said Kate firmly, as she bolted towards the stairwell, throwing open the door and taking off after the suspect.

Castle had never been good at taking orders, and today, after last night's revelations, there was no way he was about to let Kate chase after a suspect on her own. So he did the only thing he could. He yelled over his shoulder at the nurse to call security, threw open the exit door and skidded down the stairs after her.

The sound of pounding feet in the concrete and metal stairwell echoed down through the building, bouncing off the walls and making it sound like a whole army of people was racing ever downwards.

Castle leaned over the handrail now and again, as he hurried after them, trying to catch a glimpse of Kate or the mystery figure. He heard the clatter of her heels on the stairs and then caught a glint of steel, as he realized Kate had unholstered her gun as she swept her way down the stairs, clearing each floor as she passed, weaving her arms from side-to-side, crouched low and steady.

Castle hurried on, desperate to catch up with her, but unable to see or hear if the suspect was still down there ahead of them. There were three floors left. He paused to listen, annoyed by the too loud sound of his own blood pounding in his ears as he scanned frantically for movement. All sound had stopped and he leaned over the balustrade again to see if he could make anything out. Just at that moment he saw a flash of silver, as the exit door to level 2 was forced inwards at speed, hitting Kate on the back of the head, knocking her off her feet.

Castle sprinted down the remaining flight of stairs, taking two or three at a time as he called out her name. The streak of black that was the suspect carried on down to the bottom level and Castle heard the door to the hallway slam open and closed as the man made his escape. But right now he didn't care. Because lying on the ground, her gun slid off to one side, was Kate. She had one leg folded under her and her arms were thrown out to either side where she had tried to save herself from falling.

"Kate! Kate, honey. Wake up!" he pleaded, kneeling down beside her to cradle her head tenderly in his lap.

Her eyes flickered open almost immediately and she moaned and lifted her hand to the back of her head, touching the bruise that was already forming on her scalp.

"Did he get away?" she asked, looking up into Castle's concerned face, as he helped her to sit up.

"Shhh, don't worry about that now. Just take your time. Don't rush to get up," he said, turning to lean against the wall and pulling Kate back with him to lean against his chest.

"Rick, I'm fine. Really," she insisted, struggling in his arms as he tried to hold her still. "I need to find him. That was our guy. Where's my phone?" she asked, rhetorically, feeling in her jacket pocket, pulling it out to call Dispatch.

"Dispatch, this is 1-Lincoln-40. We've got a 10-13 in progress at Downtown Hospital. Request urgent assistance."

Hanging up, she said, "I need to call Ryan," as Castle helped her to her feet, picking up her gun and helping her to holster it. She braced herself on the guardrail for a moment or two until her head cleared and the call connected.

"Hey, Ryan it's Beckett. We're at Downtown Hospital. Our guy just showed up. Tried to finish off the job he started on Jerry Falconio. No. He got away when I was chasing him in the stairwell. Guy coldcocked me with the exit door. No, I'm fine. Castle's here with me. I've just called it in. We'll go back upstairs to check on Mr. Falconio. He's probably long gone by now but it won't hurt to have a look around and can you liaise with security when you get here…get copies of their tapes. Look a time codes covering the last two hours. Who knows how long he was wandering around before he found our guy. I don't know where his detail is. But that's what I intend to find out as soon as I get back up there. Okay, thanks, Ryan," said Kate, hanging up.

"Right, we're taking the elevator," insisted Castle, holding Kate by the elbow as they pushed open the exit door and entered the 2nd level. "Should we get CSU in here to dust that door for prints?" asked Castle, and Kate looked up at him in surprise.

"You really are starting to think like a cop. I'm impressed," she said, nudging him playfully with her arm. "And, just so you know…that's kinda hot," she said, smiling a little weakly.

"Okay, well you seem perfectly fine, but I'm also going to insist that doctor up in Neurotrauma has a good look at your head before we leave here and I won't be taking no for an answer, Kate. You got that?"

"Fine," she sighed, tentatively touching the tender swelling under her hair, as Castle laid his hand on top of hers, gently brushing her fingers.

They made it back to Jerry Falconio's room, without further incident. A doctor and the nurse they had seen earlier were both inside and a Uniformed Officer was standing outside the door.

"Where were you five minutes ago, Officer…Nash?" asked Kate, reading the man's name off his badge.

"I, uh…bathroom break, ma'am," he mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"Where's your relief?"

"They eh, said they'd send someone by in a hour. There's been an MVA over on East River Drive. No one was available to spell me," he said, swallowing hard, realizing how much trouble he was in.

Kate sighed and knocked on the door to Jerry Falconio's room, pushing it open when the doctor waved her in.

"Doctor, my name is Detective Kate Beckett and this is my partner, Rick Castle. I'm afraid the man you found in this room managed to get away. But we have officers looking for him right now and my colleagues will be trawling the security footage to see if we can identify him. Did either of you get a good look at the man before he fled?" asked Kate, looking from one face to the other and then sliding her eyes over to the bed, where they both seemed to be focusing their attention.

"Is Mr. Falconio okay?" asked Castle, coming to stand beside Kate, his elbow brushing against hers.

Jerry Falconio was lying peacefully in the hospital bed, but the monitor beside him had been turned off and the intubation tube had been removed from his mouth, the tape still hanging from the side of his cheek.

"I'm afraid Mr. Falconio passed away several minutes ago. The hypoxia he suffered during the attempted strangulation caused a massive cerebral infarction…a stroke, in other words," explained the doctor. "I had just called time of death and left the room to get the necessary paperwork when I heard Nurse Bradley yell out. The man who tried to smother him was too late. Mr. Falconio was already dead."

A/N: Well, the last chapter was light on reviews, so I'm guessing everyone was either shocked into silence or hated it. However, the reviews I did get were wholeheartedly positive. Thank you again to those of you who got in touch. Most of the messages made me laugh out loud! Best reviews yet.

This chapter was getting very long, so I've paused the action here. Needless to say, I'll be updating as quickly as I can. Let me know what you're thinking if you have time. I know everyone is busy this time of year…but your reviews make the stiff neck worthwhile!